Close My Eyes Forever
by Ultimate Bohab
Summary: Toph discovers that she isn't the first metalbender when she meets the very inventor of metal itself: Ozzy Osbourne.
1. The Blind Bandit

Toph was the world's greatest Earthbender. She was unparalleled in the art, defeating any who dared challenge her. This would seem highly unlikely to any who saw her, a young looking girl who's milky white eyes betrayed her obvious blindness. The fact that Toph's eyes didn't work hardly restricted her ability, instead it enhanced it. She learned to "see" with her feet, sensing the motions and vibrations of the earth and objects around her through the ground. This allowed Toph to read the motions of her opponents and counter them, an unbeatable strategy.

Toph was so advanced in her bending that she did what others thought impossible, she bended metal. But that was her problem; Toph had figured out the basics, but she didn't know how to progress any further. There were no other Metalbenders, she was the first. And that was why Toph had taken a break from traveling with the Avatar on his quest to defeat the Firelord, she needed time alone to think on and practice her new skills.

The Earthbender walked down the road of a small village, not seeing how abandoned and desolate it looked. However, she could feel that there were no people out on the streets, which Toph found odd. There was little sound either, certainly not what was expected of a trading town. She sensed a rat scurry under a box, and felt something approach. It was a human, but Toph could not yet tell its intentions. "Hey, where are all the people around here?" she asked bluntly. The man, she could tell by his voice, only laughed gruffly. "You must be mighty stupid little girl. Didn't your parents tell you to stay inside where the Firebenders couldn't get you?"

Toph grinned; she could now sense that the man was wearing metal armor. She narrowed her eyes as she felt him step closer. "Hey, are you listening to me!?" he shouted. Toph only grinned. "This is perfect. Mind coming a little closer?" the Firebender arched his eyebrow. "What are you trying to pull?" he said, striding towards her, fire in hand. Then, before he could blink, the girl rushed up and struck his chest plate repeatedly. He recognized the motions as bending, but what was she doing? Then his armor began to constrict, folding in upon itself.

"You must be pretty stupid, didn't your parents tell you to stay inside where the Earthbenders can't get you?" Toph mocked. The man fell to the ground, bound in his own armor. "And now for the finish." the Firebender screamed as a mountain of rock came up from beneath him, propelling the man high into the air. He landed with a thud somewhere behind a nearby house. "That was pretty fun, but I'm still not coming up with any new ideas." Toph said to herself. "The one thing that sucks about being the first Metalbender is that there's no one around to teach me."

* * *

Toph broke down the door of one of the abandoned houses, figuring that it would make better shelter than the small tent she had brought along. The Earthbender rolled out a cot on the floor, at least having the decency to leave the bed alone. The owners of the house were going to be angry enough about the door, so the least she could do was leave their sleeping arrangements alone. She lay down on the cot and closed her eyes. Being alone was something she was used to, and despite her love for her companions, what she was most comfortable with.

Toph awakened earlier in the morning than she had wanted to, but she heard commotion outside that set off an alarm in her head. "I hope the owners aren't home." she muttered, slowly getting to her feet. There were men talking a short ways away from the house in short, rough tones. Toph's eyes widened as she picked out the voice of the Firebender she had defeated yesterday. "You heard me, burn the whole damn village down! She's got to be in here somewhere!"

Fire blazed across the tops of the thatched roof houses, instantly igniting every structure in the town. There were five Firebenders working, with the injured leader directing. Toph moved quickly, dashing out of the house while keeping low to the ground. "There she is!" one of the soldiers shouted. Toph felt a gush of flame rush by her. She pinpointed the location of two of her attackers and dispatched them with a single strike, burying them under wave of earth. She then headed towards the ringleader, bending the earth beneath her as she did so to gain speed.

"Stop her you fools!" the leader shouted, his voice quivering. "Sounds like you just wet yourself. Very threatening." Toph smirked. She stomped her foot and sent the two Firebenders closing in on her flying. "Is that all you got?" the Earthbender challenged arrogantly. Then she heard it, a second too late. One of the Firebenders had gotten onto a roof and was preparing an attack from the air. Toph couldn't sense it, and only had time to jump away from a direct hit. Fire scorched her legs and feet as she stumbled backwards. "Damn!" Toph swore. With her feet burned, her senses were blurry. "Finish the girl while she's weak!" the head Firebender roared triumphantly.

Toph felt the remaining three enemies getting closer, and knew she had to act. The Earthbender attempted to stand, but her feet blazed with pain in doing so. She didn't know how long she'd be able to last. Toph felt the heat from the fire her opponents were conjuring, and gritted her teeth. She wasn't going to die like this, dammit! Time slowed down as the Firebenders completed their technique. Toph raised the best earth shields she could in her injured state and braced for impact. But the attack never came.

Toph vaguely sensed each of the Firebenders falling to the ground, struck down by an unknown force. The flames were immediately extinguished, she could feel the heat receding from around her. Confused, Toph lowered her shields. A figure stood before her, and she could see him more clearly than any human she had ever encountered. She could discern every feature of his body, the shape of his face, the slight smile he wore, Toph could see him as clearly as she saw the earth. It was if he was made of rock, Toph thought, or... metal.


	2. The Prince Of Darkness

The Earthbender was incredulous at the sudden appearance of her savior, a monumentally lucky event, considering how dire the situation had been. "Oi, these fuckers didn't hurt you, did they?" the man asked, stepping towards her. He had an incredibly thick accent and mumbled his words, but Toph's expert hearing allowed her to understand what he was saying. "I could have taken them all myself, I didn't need your help." the Earthbender replied gruffly, slowly getting up. She winced as she put weight on the burns. The man laughed. "I'm sure, you were beating the shit out of 'em when I got here." his voice sounded old, worn ragged from a harsh life.

He grabbed her arm, helping her stand. Toph was about to shrug him off, but pain in her feet made her rely on him for support. "Easy now. You may be tough as fuckin' steel, but that doesn't mean you don't need a hand." the kindness of this mysterious stranger was baffling. It reminded Toph of the selflessness of Aang, who would reach out to those in need without a second thought. She tried to take a step away from him, but stumbled and nearly fell. He caught her just before she hit the ground. "Looks like you won't be walking. I'll carry you." he hefted Toph up into his arms with ease, as she was much smaller than he. Toph decided not to struggle, despite her discomfort at being carried in such a way.

"Ey, what's your name, girl?" the man asked as he began to walk. "I'm Toph." the girl replied without thinking. This surprised her, she wasn't usually so trusting. Even if the man had saved her, he could still be a mercenary sent by her parents to bring her home, or worse. But he didn't feel like an enemy, he felt like a friend. "Toph, eh? Interesting name for a girl." he laughed again. It was a hollow, chilling sound, and it made Toph shiver. The Earthbender briefly questioned her safety upon hearing it, but pushed the thought out of her head. In the state she was in, she needed to trust somebody.

"What's your name then?" Toph asked after a while of awkward silence. "Me?" the man said incredulously, as if he had never expected such a question. "Well people have called me a lot of things, a rebel, a dreamer, a madman... but I call myself Ozzy." "And are you any of those things people have called you?" Toph questioned. "Well, back in the day I guess I was all of those." Ozzy said. "I didn't know what the hell I was doing, I just lived for the thrills and pissing off The Man. But that caught up with me, so I gave up the rebel life." Toph thought that sounded familiar.

"Now that you're not a complete stranger, I have an even more important question." Toph said. "How did you manage to take out those Firebenders, and how is it that you just happened to be in the area when I got attacked? And I know I just asked two questions, but I want answers!" Ozzy pondered for a moment. "I'll answer you when we get to camp. Are you hungry? I'm fucking starved." Toph's stomach rumbled at the mention of eating. "...Maybe a little."

* * *

Ozzy had put up a makeshift roof made out of canvas and assembled a fire pit near a couple of logs. Above the fire was a steel pot, slowly bubbling. Toph sniffed the air, she smelled some sort of soup, but it was an unrecognizable flavor. "I hope you like Brunswick stew." Ozzy said as he placed Toph on a log. She grimaced as her feet touched the ground. He noticed this and frowned. "Sorry, I forgot about that. I have some salve I use for my joints, maybe that'll help." he offered. Toph nodded in response to the older man, realizing for the first time just how much older he was. "You're like a grandpa." Toph said. Ozzy laughed, once again sending chills down her spine. "A scary grandpa." she muttered under her breath.

Ozzy dished out two bowls of the stew, setting them aside as he went to get the ointment. Though it hurt, Toph touched her feet to the ground so she could better see him. He was old, but not in a decrepit sort of way. He had long hair, spidery hands, and haunting eyes. It was hard to take in, never having seen a human like this before. She lifted her feet up as he approached her. "This might sting a little." Ozzy said. "More than when they got burned? I doubt it." Toph replied. "Got a sense of humor. I like that." he said, smearing the salve on her feet. Once applied it was cool and soothing, but he was right, it did sting at first.

"Now about those questions." Ozzy said as they ate their stew. "I was called here to teach someone. Someone important. Fuck if I knew who it was when I got here, but I've been watching your progress with Metalbending for a few days now, and I think I've gotta teach you." Toph set aside her bowl. "How are you supposed to teach me? I INVENTED Metalbending! Wait, how do you even know about it in the first place?" Ozzy stood up. "I'll tell you how I know, I know because I'm Ozzy Osbourne, the prince of fucking darkness, and I invented metal!"

Toph found this hard to believe. "How could you invent metal? It came from rock. It's not something inventable!" "And that's where your learning begins." Ozzy said. "We took rock and made it heavier, more powerful. That's how we invented metal." "Wait a minute, I thought you said that YOU invented metal." Toph questioned, still not buying the story. "Well it was more a collaborative thing, me, Tony, Geezer and Bill. But the point is I shaped the very roots of metal! It's not the kind of metal that you bend, but the lesson is the same, it's fuckin' metal, and I can see it in you."


	3. Changes

"What are you talking about? A different kind of metal? There's only one kind!" Toph shouted. Ozzy's words made absolutely no sense to her. If he couldn't bend, how was he supposed to teach her anything? "I'm appreciative for you saving me and everything, but this is ridiculous. No wonder they call you a madman." the Earthbender snorted. "Think what you want, I'll show you what I'm fucking talking about." Ozzy said. Toph glared at him through her sightless eyes. "Oh. Right. Sorry about that. Rather, you're gonna hear what I'm fuckin' talking about."

Toph sensed him pick up an object, but there wasn't enough metal in it for her to truly see what it was. "Many folks from around here wouldn't be able to stand this, but I can tell that you've got the spirit of metal in you. Now listen closely." Ozzy said, fiddling with the object. Suddenly, sound came out of it, making Toph jump. It was music, but not of a sort she had ever heard before. As far as she could tell it was a string instrument, not unlike a lute. The tune was haunting and melodic at the same time. Drums pounded behind the lead instrument, louder than she was used to. She could feel the atmosphere building in the song, and then it happened.

The softer instrument transformed into a harsh noise, cutting through the air and directly into Toph's ears. It was overwhelming in its power, a colossal sound. "That's called an electric guitar, and this, this is fucking metal." Ozzy said, smiling at the girl's awed face. The guitar faded back to acoustic as a man began to sing. His voice was haunting, yet beautiful. He sang of isolation and depression, of desperation and madness. Toph's eyes widened as she realized it. "This.. is you, isn't it?"

"That was me, a long time ago." Ozzy replied. "I've lost some of my voice over the years. Doesn't mean I don't fucking rock when I want to, though. I'll do it till the day I die." Toph thought he sounded wistful. "So your metal is music?" she asked. "Music is at the heart, yeah, but metal is a whole fuckin' lifestyle. One you've been leading without realizing." Ozzy explained. "For you to truly master metalbending, you must embrace all forms of metal." Toph scratched her head. "So you're saying that learning to play metal music will help me metalbend?" "Exactly."

* * *

"I'm still not sure about this. And you seem more than a little crazy." the Earthbender said. "Crazy? You don't know the fuckin' half of it! ALL ABOOAARRD!" Ozzy yelled, grabbing Toph's hand and pulling her off the log. "Hey!" Toph said as her feet touched the ground. She winced in anticipation of the pain, but the burns were feeling much better. It was as if the madman had worked some sort of healing miracle. He took her deeper into the woods, where Toph could sense a cave carved into a monumental stone. "I keep my important stuff here, figured it wasn't safe enough in the camp." Ozzy explained.

Toph could sense some steel strings and a metal box, but the other materials in them made it impossible for her to discern their purpose. "Before we get started on your learning, fancy a cup of tea?" the Earthbender arched her eyebrow. "The tea is considered 'important stuff'?" she said sarcastically. "Well yeah! This is the best fucking tea in England!" "...England?" Toph asked. "It's my- never mind. Do you want the bloody tea or not?" Ozzy replied. "The tea has blood in it?" Toph frowned. "No, it doesn't have fucking blood in it!" Ozzy said, exasperated. "Let's just get on with it."

"I want you to try and sing this." he said, pressing down on an object in his hand. From it, music started playing. It was similar to what he had played before, but clearly a different song. "This is Paranoid, a simple yet fundamental song in metal." once again, it was Ozzy's voice she heard coming out of the machine. "Finished with my woman 'cause she couldn't help me with my mind, people think I'm insane because I am frowning all the time..." Ozzy sang from the box. "These lyrics don't really apply to me. Do they all have to be so depressing?" Toph said. "Metal started with looking at the darker parts of humanity." Ozzy replied. "Black Sabbath began by embracing the death and sadness, turning it into sound. Metal is cold and harsh, whether it be music or steel. That's a key part of understanding it."

Toph nodded her head. She had darker parts, repressed emotions. She could get that. "I've never really sang before, even though my parents tried to make me take voice lessons." she said. "That's alright, my mum was an amateur singer and my dad was an amateur drunk. I never had a proper lesson either!" Ozzy smiled encouragingly. She cleared her throat before hesitantly starting. Toph quietly began the first verse, unsure of her voice, but continued more strongly once she gathered herself. Ozzy attempted not to wince, but Toph was sadly not gifted with the talent of singing. As she finished she could feel herself blush; she knew she had done a less than spectacular job.

"It's alright. Vocals are only a part of metal. Equally, or perhaps more important, is the guitar." Ozzy said. Toph was never one to wallow in defeat, even if she almost never lost. She felt him pick up the strange object with the steel strings. "I never learned how to play this fucking thing, but I know enough to get you started." he put the guitar in Toph's hands and then walked behind her, helping her position it just right. "This instrument belonged to an old friend of mine." Ozzy said. Toph detected sorrow in his voice. "He had a kind of spirit like nobody else, and I've never seen anyone play guitar half as well as him."

The Earthbender looked at him. "Are you sure you want me playing something so valuable to you?" she asked. It was an important question, as she was very talented in breaking things. "It's what Randy would want." Ozzy replied, smiling sadly. "Nothing would make him happier than seeing someone else take up that guitar, and I think you're the girl for it." Toph felt the strings, and as they vibrated and spoke to her, she felt something immense swell up inside, a sense of awe at what she was undertaking. What Ozzy had given her was a gift like no other, and she intended to master it.


	4. Here For You

Toph gently strummed the guitar, immersing herself in the powerful sound that reverberated and echoed in the cave. The strings told her which sounds they made, where to place her fingers to make just the right note. Ozzy watched in awe as she delicately and deliberately plucked the strings. He had wondered how he was going to get her to read music, but it was clear to him now that the gift of metal was more deeply ingrained in the girl than he had ever imagined. Toph was a long way from Randy or Tony's levels yet, but Ozzy could tell that she was a natural born genius.

"Alright Toph, listen to Paranoid again." Ozzy said, bringing out his music playing device. "After you hear the riff, I want you to play it. Tony Iommi was the first metal guitarist, learn his riffs and the rest will come easy." the Earthbender focused intently on the guitar in the song, using her keen sense of hearing to single it out from the other instruments. After a minute, Ozzy turned it off. "Alright, now most people wouldn't be able to play something so complicated after just picking up the guitar, let alone play it by ear, but you're different. I believe you can do it." the musician told his pupil. Toph nodded. "I'm the world's greatest Earthbender, there's nothing I can't do." Ozzy smiled, the statement was cocky, but he liked that kind of attitude.

The Earthbender blocked out all other sound as she began to play. Her movements started out slow as she remembered how the riff went in her head, matching the chords playing in her brain to the string's vibrations. Toph's fingers gradually sped up until she was matching Tony's guitar, note for note. Instead of copying the song exactly, Toph threw her own style into the song. Her guitar was looser, more free than Tony's dark and forbidding style. Tears came to Ozzy's eyes as he was reminded of his old friend, who had brought life to music in much the same way.

* * *

Toph continued to shred through Paranoid, beginning an original guitar solo of her own once the song was over. She thought of her past experiences, her trials and triumphs, the bitter moments and the happy ones, and put it all into the instrument in her hands. When she finished, Toph found that she had sweat on her brow. "Wow, I had no idea musicians did so much work. I thought they were mostly wimps that never learned a proper trade, but I guess I was wrong." Toph said, gently setting down the guitar. She expected a response from Ozzy, but none came. The prince of darkness was crying, she could feel it.

The Earthbender didn't know what to say. She wasn't good at comforting others, and this was completely unexpected coming from one such as Ozzy. Toph opened her mouth and then closed it again, afraid that she would sound too coarse or blunt. Not knowing what else to do, she walked over to the older man and hugged him. Behind his round glasses, Ozzy's eyes widened in surprise. Slowly, he returned the embrace. "Sorry, little lady. I was just thinking about Randy, and... and it still hurts that he's gone. I can't fucking believe it man, happened right before my eyes..."

He knew Toph wouldn't understand the details of what happened, so he didn't bother to explain the bits about the drugs, or the plane crash. However, anyone who had lived a life like hers would understand the grief, the loss. Ozzy knew that, and he knew that it was time to confide in someone. If he was to help her master the art of metal, he needed to have a bond with her. And that meant trust. After a few minutes, he let go. "I've told you about Randy Rhoads before." Ozzy said, taking time to compose himself. "He was a guitar wizard, the fuckin' greatest I've ever seen, and I've worked with the best. I know I've said it before, but I can't say it enough. When you played his guitar like that, well, it was like having him back again, if only for a second."

Toph had never lost someone really close to her, but she had come near it a few times during her journey with the Avatar. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if Aang, Sokka or Katara died, and she suspected that Ozzy and Randy were even closer than they were. "It was my fault he died, I talked him into doing that stupid shit. It was all my bloody fault." Ozzy took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. "If I could change one thing, it would be that day. But even with all my power I can't do a fucking thing." Toph felt an overwhelming sense of compassion for the man, hugging him again, even more closely. Ozzy may have come to teach her, but he didn't need a student right then, he needed a friend. "We've only known each other for a few days, and I still don't understand what's going on, but I'm here for you. I promise." Toph said. "And I'm here for you too, little one. You can lay your world on me." Ozzy smiled, ruffling her hair. And then there were no more tears.


End file.
